Importance of an Expert Pituitary Surgeon

Question: I have Cushing’s Disease and my doctor insists that I travel to a major medical center to have surgery. Why is it so important to have an expert pituitary neurosurgeon?

Answer: The success in curing a patient of Cushing’s Disease is directly related to the experience of the neurosurgeon. In other words, it is essential to be operated on by a neurosurgeon who has done many hundreds of pituitary tumor removals. This is critical to providing the highest chance of cure, as well as the lowest chance of any damage to the normal pituitary gland. There are several medical centers in the United States and elsewhere, where there are expert pituitary neurosurgeons.